The present invention relates to the provision of vocational and/or employment services and, particularly, to a method for distance delivery of such services coupled with shared payments from third-party payers.
The provision of vocational and/or employment services and support to unemployed or underemployed individuals have conventionally been provided via face-to-face meetings. Vocational or employment professionals provide services such as advice on how to select a vocational goal, research a career option, prepare a resume or conduct a job search. They also offer psychosocial support in an attempt to motivate the recipient of the services and facilitate the achievement of the employment-related objectives.
Conventional xe2x80x9cnear-proximityxe2x80x9d methods of delivering vocational and/or employment services have major disadvantages associated with them. For example, vocational services offered via face-to-face meetings are labor intensive and require use of some type of physical facility, both of which contribute to the expense of such xe2x80x9cnear-proximityxe2x80x9d methods. Furthermore, it is usually inconvenient for the consumer of such services to travel to a central location for face-to-face meetings, particularly if the consumer is economically disadvantaged or disabled with limited transportation options. The times at which the vocational services are offered are many times inconvenient for the consumer, particularly if they are dependent upon others to transport them, or if they need to work around the schedules of dependent children or their own personal care attendants.
Furthermore, the knowledge base of vocational service professionals is many times not specialized to match the specific needs of particular consumers. For example, a newly graduated computer science major who is quadriplegic, a mother of three on welfare and at a fifth grade reading level, and a former nurse with cognitive impairment due to brain injury, may all be assigned to the same vocational counselor at a one-stop state-funded employment center.
Psychosocial support from peers experiencing many of the same employment related challenges can be particularly meaningful to some consumers, but is usually lacking in the one-on-one face-to-face sessions scheduled by traditional vocational service providers. Arranging such connections is many times logistically impractical for conventional providers.
National Telecommuting Institute (NTI) is a non-profit disability organization that specializes in training individuals with disabilities who need home based work. This job training is delivered xe2x80x9clong distancexe2x80x9dxe2x80x94via the Internet, mail and telephone. Payment(s) to NTI are typically made by state vocational rehabilitation agencies, contingent upon the consumer of NTI""s services becoming employed for a minimum of 90 days. Among knowledgeable people in the field, NTI""s methods are considered cutting edge.
What is desired is a method of providing long-distance vocational and/or employment services that facilitates providing benefits to the consumers beyond just training.
Vocational/employment services and supports delivered via distance methods such as a web-based information and support system, offer greater efficiency, convenience and depth and breadth of information than vocational services provided by conventional face-to-face delivery methods. In addition, such distance delivered services can be provided at a much lower cost than services provided via face-to-face meetings. The resulting cost savings make it possible for the provider of services to share with the consumer of services a substantial percentage of the payment(s) that the provider receives from a third party payer. When payment(s) from the third party payer are contingent upon the consumer achieving predetermined employment related goals, then a shared third party payment(s) arrangement gives the consumer added incentives to achieve those goals and added reason to chose the provider using this method over others.